Warrior Baseball Western Albemarle High School

2005 Season

Varsity Schedule With Results (Schedule (from highschoolsports.net).  Directions to fields is available through Western Albemarle High School website.)

Roster

* denotes number of varsity baseball letters
± denotes team captains

Team Picture 

Row 1 (bottom): Brittany Rogers, Joe Clark, Dean Goodson, Jason Butterworth, Martin Powley, CT Martin, Chloë Elsas
Row 2: Brian Birckhead, Matt Satterwhite, Steven Cuccia, Spencer Parks, Adam Kruithof, Sam Kozura, Justin Sullivan
Row 3: Coach Tim Hughes, Coach Jim Freeland, Coach Andy Powley, Coach Buddy Clark, Coach Lou Beeler, Coach Skip Hudgins, Coach Kerry Gardner, Coach John Hanks
Row 4: Kevin Clark, Josh Ellwood, Russ Dodson, George Thurston, Andy Pierce, Kyle Long

Preview from Coach Hudgins

After a sluggish start, last year’s edition of Warrior Baseball came on like gang busters at the end of the season.  The 2004 team won the District Tournament Championship and advanced to the Region II playoffs.  Gone from that team are: Bryan Lescanec, Ryan DeRose, Rich Hunt, and Steve Roberts.  Steve gave us a solid contribution for two seasons off the bench and was the ideal team player.  Rich, a two-year starter and Ryan, a three-year starter, were both major contributors to our program.  Both had All District credentials, were leaders and will be hard to replace.  Bryan leaves as one of, if not the best, player to ever play here.  He was a four-year starter who played EVERY inning of EVERY game.  He is the holder of multiple Warrior baseball records, both career and single season.  He was an All-District selection four times,  All-Region four times and All-State twice.  Players like that can’t be replaced!. We wish all four of these young men the best and thank them for all they did for our program.

Here is a quick look at the 2005 Warriors by position.

PITCHER
Andy Pierce (Sr) and Adam Kruithof (Soph) will be counted on to lead this extremely deep and talented crew.  Both AP and AK have #1 ability and stuff!
Brian Birckhead (Soph) has looked good and should also get some serious time on the hill as well as push Andy and Adam.
C.T. Martin (Sr), Dean Goodson (Jr), Kyle Long (Soph), Josh Ellwood (Soph), Kevin Collier (Soph) and Steve Cuccia (Soph) round out our staff.  Look for at least one out of this group (of six) to break out and be a major factor on the mound.
George Thurston (Sr) is recovering from shoulder surgery and probably won’t pitch this spring.  This is a real shame because George had emerged as one of our top hurlers this summer.
SKINNY: Deep and talented- loaded with potential! Believe it’s the strength of this team.  Should be some fierce and interesting battles for mound time!

 CATCHER
After an outstanding JV season in 04, Jason Butterworth (Jr) moves up and makes a position change.  Even though catcher is a relatively new position for Butter he looks to have the inside track for the job.  He has all the physical abilities and the intangibles needed for this role.  He will also be counted on to hit at the top of our lineup.
Steve Cuccia (Soph) and Russ Dodson (Jr) will serve as back-ups, and Joe Clark (Sr) gives us an excellent emergency option.
SKINNY: Even though none of our catchers have Varsity experience, I’m not concerned and have confidence in these guys.  How quickly they develop will go a long way in shaping our season.

FIRST BASE
Andy Pierce and Adam Kruithof will see time here when not on the mound.
Kevin Collier, Kyle Long, and George Thurston will provide good competition for this spot.
SKINNY: Position of strength. Tons of options.  Could boil down to who swings the best stick!

SECOND BASE
Dean Goodson really came on strong at the end of 04 to take a firm hold of this job.  His play in last year’s District Championship game was a huge factor in our win. Justin Sullivan (Sr) gives us a quality back-up here.  He’s made great strides both defensively and with the bat and should get some playing time.  
Sam Kozura and Matt Satterwhite could also see action here.
SKINNY: I feel good about this group and believe this is another stable area of this team.

SHORTSTOP
Joe Clark, a three-year starter and two-year starter at shortstop returns for his senior year.  Joe is the best defensive shortstop we’ve ever had at WAHS.  That says a lot because we’ve been blessed with some good ones over the last 23 years.  He is solid and steady, makes all the plays, and makes the tough ones look routine.  He is ready to have a big year at the plate too.
Brian Birckhead and Sam Kozura give us two very capable back-ups here.
SKINNY: A+!

 THIRD BASE
Brian Birckhead will start at third.  BB is off to a great start - looks solid in the field with a good glove, strong arm and improved range.  I look for a strong year at the plate from him as well. 
Sam Kozura gives us an excellent option when Brian goes to the mound.
Dean Goodson is also more than capable of filling in here.
SKINNY:I believe these guys will hold this spot down and have big years.  They got to see Rich Hunt play, so they have seen what it’s supposed to look like!

 OUTFIELD
We return all three starters from 04; however, George Thurston’s arm surgery will keep him off the field for a while.  Martin Powley (Sr) and Matt Satterwhite (Jr) return to right and center respectively after solid seasons a year ago.  Both appear to be on track to have bang-up years both in the field and at the plate.
Josh Ellwood, Sam Kozura, and Adam Kruithof could also get time here.
SKINNY: A lot of experience, good wheels (which is extremely important in our big yard), strong arms.  Like this group!  We need offense from all three spots, and all are more than capable!!

 DESIGNATED HITTER
Kyle Long returns with the most experience at this spot.  He has a sweet swing with some pop.
George Thurston and Kevin Collier will both make a push here as well.
It could be that 05 is a year that we won’t use a DH much, because we’ll start nine that can all swing it.  That’s a good problem!
SKINNY: Lots of DH and pinch hitting options- love it!

OVERALL  OUTLOOK
Despite the curve ball Mother Nature has tossed us with all the snow and cold temperatures, I feel pretty good about where we are.  Because of our off-season work and the fact that we return so many players, I don’t expect us to miss a beat.  Our District should feature four really strong teams. One of the four is us!  I really like our group and fully expect us to have a big year with an excellent shot at winning our District and having a special season.  All the questions I have will start to be answered soon.  I can’t wait!!!!

 Coach Hudgins (3/9/05)

Coach Hudgins and 2005 Team Captains	Warrior Seniors: Martin Powley, George Thurston, Andy Pierce, and Joe Clark
Team Managers: Brittany Rogers and Chloë Elsass

 Pictures 1  (Double Click to Enlarge)

Martin Powley warms up on snow covered field in March 2005	Joe Clark in the snow	Yes, we warmed up in the snow
Practice on Warrior Field was delayed in March when several inches of snow took over the field	Snow and rain slowed the beginning of the season		Brian Birckhead and Sam Kozura at third base
Pre-game huddle before Nelson Game	Coach Beeler gives instructions	Infield before Nelson Game	Dean Goodson and Justin Sullivan at second base
Coach Powley and Martin	Coach Clark and Joe	Coaches Clark and Hudgins quiz Butter	Warm Ups
Live Practice	Pregame Exercises	"Are you talking to me?"	"Are we clear?"
Ready Position	Turning Two	Greeting Committee	Nelson Game

Last Update 06/03/2005